Television

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Gun violence dominates disadvantaged neighborhoods

Four and a half million Americans live in areas within cities with the highest numbers of gun homicide, which are marked by
intense poverty, low levels of education, and racial segregation, reported The Guardian.
Geographically, these neighborhood areas are small: a total of about 1,200
neighborhood census tracts, which, laid side by side, would fit into an area
just 42 miles wide by 42 miles long.

The problem they face is devastating. Though these
neighborhood areas contain just 1.5% of the country’s population, they saw 26%
of America’s total gun homicides.

Gun control advocates say it is unacceptable that
Americans overall are "25 times more likely to be murdered with a gun than
people in other developed countries". People who live in these
neighborhood areas face an average gun homicide rate about 400 times higher
than the rate across those high-income countries.

Understanding this dramatic clustering of America’s
of gun violence is crucial for the effort to save more lives.

Four and a half million Americans live in areas of
these cities with the highest numbers of gun homicide, which are marked by
intense poverty, low levels of education, and racial segregation.
Geographically, these neighborhood areas are small: a total of about 1,200
neighborhood census tracts, which, laid side by side, would fit into an area
just 42 miles wide by 42 miles long.

The problem they face is devastating. Though these
neighborhood areas contain just 1.5% of the country’s population, they saw 26%
of America’s total gun homicides.

Gun control advocates say it is unacceptable that
Americans overall are "25 times more likely to be murdered with a gun than
people in other developed countries". People who live in these
neighborhood areas face an average gun homicide rate about 400 times higher
than the rate across those high-income countries.

Understanding this dramatic clustering of America’s
of gun violence is crucial for the effort to save more lives.

About Matt

An analysis of crime and punishment from the perspective of a former prosecutor and current criminal justice practitioner.
The views expressed on this blog are solely those of the author and do not reflect the opinions or postions of any county, state or federal agency.